The incursions of Jewish settlers into al-Aqsa Mosque hit record high over the past few days. The highest numbers of settlers who desecrated the holy site in five years were recorded.

According to data published by the Temple of Solomon Organizations, 1,046 Jewish settlers defiled al-Aqsa Mosque on Tuesday morning. It exceeded the highest number that was recorded a few months ago and hit 900.

This increase resulted from the large-scale campaigns that have been recently launched by the Temple of Solomon Organizations calling for massive incursions into the Muslims’ holy shrine. The Israeli calls aimed at commemorating the anniversary of the so-called destruction of the alleged Temple of Solomon on August 09 according to the Jewish calendar.

Thousands of Jewish settlers on Monday night marched to al-Buraq Wall (Wailing Wall) plaza, west of the Aqsa Mosque, performed rituals near the holy site and chanted racist slogans against the Palestinians.

Local sources told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) thousands of settlers marched from Bab al-Jadeed (New Gate) area in the Old City of Jerusalem to al-Buraq wall, carrying Israeli flags to mark the two-day Jewish occasion of Tisha B'Av.

The sources added that several settlers acted provocatively against Palestinian citizens and chanted racist slurs in the holy city during their march under police guard.

Temple Mount groups already called for massive participation in the march on Monday and incited their followers to desecrate the Aqsa Mosque compound en masse on Tuesday to commemorate the same occasion.

Earlier, the Israeli police made security preparations ahead of the march through intensifying its forces’ presence in different streets of Jerusalem, especially in the Old City, and restricting the movement of the Palestinian natives.

Hundreds of Israeli settlers and extremists have stormed Tuesday morning the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the Israeli-occupied Old City of Jerusalem.

415 settlers forced their way into the holy site through the Bab al-Magharibah gate under tight protection of several groups of Israeli soldiers and special police forces, an official at al-Waqaf Department revealed.

The settlers performed provocative tours throughout the site, he added.

Israeli security forces have caused great damage to historical documents at Al-Aqsa Mosque during the two weeks of crisis over the Muslim holy site, officials say.

Head of the Manuscripts Department at Al-Aqsa, Radwan Amro, said in a statement that “the occupation authorities have caused huge and extensive destruction to the libraries and facilities at Al-Aqsa Mosque as well as the manuscripts section”, WAFA reported, according to PNN.

Amro further stated that specialized committees are continuing to assess and survey the damage, and will provide the official bodies with all the results once they are completed.

There has been great concern about Israeli theft of important documents from Al-Aqsa departments concerning property and Muslim endowment in Jerusalem, because of the lack of Waqf officials at the mosque.

Waqf officials are the ones in charge of the Al-Aqsa compound. They, alongside any Palestinians, have been prohibited to enter the compound for the past two weeks, due to the events that took place on July 14, where two police guards were shot dead.

However, Waqf media official, Firas Dibs, denied the rumors about theft of manuscripts and documents from the mosque.

Dibs said in a statement that Waqf technical committee has just started its survey of the mosque and it will take a while before it can presents its final conclusion.

Dozens of Israeli extremist settlers stormed into Al-Aqsa Mosque early Monday morning, from Al-Maghariba gate, guarded by Israeli police, amid more restrictions imposed on Palestinian entry to the mosque.

Israeli police opened Al-Maghariba gate at 7:30 AM, deployed special forces and rapid deployment in the Al-Aqsa courtyards, to ensure the full protection of settlers’ provocative entry, Al Ray reports.

The incursions coincide with Jewish calls to intensify the daily raids on the mosque and to establish a full program during Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, inside and outside the compound.

The official of public relations and media department of Islamic endowments, Firas Aldebs, stated that 192 extremists stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque since the morning, and after the opening of the door of Al-Maghariba.

Settlers organized provocative tours in various areas of the courtyards and received explanations about the alleged Temple Mount and its landmarks during the intrusion.

Israeli occupation police tightened security measures at the gates of the mosque and checked the personal identities of the worshipers coming to it.

In the meantime, dozens of worshipers from Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories have come to Al-Aqsa, since the early morning, attending in study seminars and reading the Koran, while chanting slogans to protest against the continuous Israeli intrusions.

The so-called “Back to the Mountain” extremist group within the union of the “Temple” organizations, headed by extremist Rafael Morris, called for a full program on Monday and Tuesday, inside and outside the mosque, where they will daily storm into Al-Aqsa from 7:30 am, with a full morning program in Al-Aqsa on Tuesday.

Hebrew sources confirmed that Israeli occupation forces stationed at the gates of Al-Aqsa have a list of names and photos of wanted individuals, on the pretext of posing a confrontation to the occupation.

A reporter for the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) said that 25 settlers escorted by police officers entered the Mosque through al-Maghariba Gate and toured the holy site.

He added that the Israeli police restricted the entry of the Aqsa Mosque guards and employees and searched them before allowing them in, affirming that the police arrested Ra’ed al-Zaghir, one of the officials in charge of the Mosque.

In a related context, hardline Knesset member and rabbi Yehuda Glick announced that he and more than 150 Jews would ascend to what he called the temple mount (Aqsa Mosque) in the coming hours.

Other notorious rabbis from different West Bank settlements also intend to defile the Mosque today, according to the PIC reporter.

In advance of the afternoon prayers on Friday, Israeli military forces agreed to temporarily lift restrictions preventing Muslims from praying at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, the third-holiest site in Islam. This followed a morning of clashes when Israeli troops prevented Palestinians and other worshipers from praying.

For the morning prayers Friday, Israeli authorities had imposed a restriction banning any men under fifty from praying at the mosque. This led to angry marches in which Palestinian worshipers tried to enter the mosque despite the Israeli restrictions.

Israeli forces fired tear gas several times at those trying to get into the mosque for Friday prayers.

In addition, Israeli forces killed a man in Etzion, south of Bethlehem, who they allege tried to attack soldiers. Soldiers also killed a 16-year old boy who was participating in a protest in al-Boreij refugee camp in Gaza.

The lifting of the restrictions came after hundreds of Palestinians participated in civil disobedience Friday morning, conducting a sit-in at the entrance to the Mosque.

This Friday’s events followed two weeks of Israeli closures, restrictions and invasions of the Mosque, after a firefight that ended up on the Mosque grounds two Fridays ago.

According to Ma’an News Agency, Israeli authorities released 95 Palestinians Friday morning who had been detained in clashes Thursday night. Those released were banned from entering the al-Aqsa Mosque for two weeks. Those who were not residents of Jerusalem, they were banned from the entire city of Jerusalem for two weeks.

Dozens of Israeli soldiers invaded, shortly after midnight, the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, in occupied East Jerusalem, and assaulted hundreds of worshipers, wounding dozens, in addition to shooting 15 worshipers, including two who suffered serious wounds, and six medics, with rubber-coated steel bullets in the head, and abducted 120 worshipers.

The invasion into the mosque started from al-Magharba Gate area, when the soldiers fired many firebombs, gas bombs, concussion grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets, to force the Palestinians out of the holy site.

The soldiers then surrounded al-Qibli mosque, in Al-Aqsa compound, abducted 120 Palestinians, including two guards of Al-Aqsa, identified as Khaled Sharawna and Luay al-Qawasmi, and moved them to several detention and interrogation facilities.

Medical sources said the Israeli attack led to dozens of injuries, including fifteen who were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets in their heads, and six medics.

The soldiers also prevented dozens of medics from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, and attacked many of them, before closing it to all Palestinians.

The sources added that many Palestinians suffered serious injuries, two of them were rushed to al-Magharba Gate, and were moved to a hospital by an Israeli ambulance.

The Maan News Agency said the soldiers confiscated the mobile phones from all the abducted Palestinians, in addition to abducting another Palestinian, identified as Mohammad Khader Abu al-Hummus, near Damascus Gate.

The attack was the second in just a few hours, as the soldiers assaulted dozens of worshipers after evening prayers, Thursday, and fired dozens of gas bombs and concussion grenades, in addition to several live rounds, to remove the Palestinians out of the mosque, before shutting down all of its gates, and the Old City gates.

The Israeli army and police also prevented all Palestinians males, below the age of fifty, from entering Jerusalem’s Old City.

It is worth mentioning that various Palestinian figures, including national and religious leaders, are planning to hold an urgent meeting to discuss the renewed Israeli escalation, which comes hours after the army lifted the siege on the mosque, after the constant and persistent struggle to end the siege, which was violently reinstated ahead of Friday prayers.

The situation in Jerusalem remains very tense, especially as the army pushed dozens of additional units around Al-Aqsa, and the Old City, in addition to installing dozens of roadblocks and deploying mounted units, preventing the Palestinians from approaching the holy site.

Israeli soldiers injured, on Thursday evening at least 121 Palestinians in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Old City, in occupied East Jerusalem.

The soldiers assaulted the worshipers following evening prayers, held in Al-Aqsa Mosque, courtyards and near the gates of the old city, and fired dozens of concussion grenades and rubber-coated steel bullets.

The Maan News Agency said the soldiers prevented hundreds of Palestinians from entering Al-Aqsa Mosque, an issue that pushed them to pray outside the holy site, including near the mosque’s ancient gates, and in the surrounding streets.

Hundreds of young Palestinian men, who were denied access to the mosque, prayed outside the holy sites near its gates and in the streets.

It added that the soldiers closed many of the gates, including Bab Hotta, while hundreds of officers were also deployed in the courtyards of the mosque and the Old City.

The soldiers then announced that only elders and women would be allowed into the holy site, for what they called “security considerations,” before the army and police resorted to excessive force to remove the worshipers, and issue that led to clashes.

The Palestinian Red Crescent (PCR) said its medics provided treatment to 113 Palestinians, adding that among the wounded are persons who were assaulted by the soldiers, and suffered fractures and bruises, in addition to many who were shot with rubber-coated steel bullets, gas bombs and concussion grenades.

The PRC added that its medics moved fifteen wounded Palestinians to hospitals and medical centers in occupied Jerusalem.

It also stated that the soldiers prevented its ambulances from reaching the gates leading to the mosque, and issue that forced the medics to rush into the holy site on foot carrying their stretchers and first aid tools.

It is worth mentioning that, despite the Israeli restrictions and blockades, more than 30.000 Palestinians managed to enter Al-Aqsa courtyards and held evening prayers.

The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) on Wednesday started to carry out diggings in Bab al-Asbat area near the Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which had seen days of tension after the IOA deployed metal detectors at the holy site’s entrances.

Eyewitnesses told the Palestinian Information Center (PIC) that Jewish workmen and a small concrete mixer were brought under police guard to al-Ghazali Square of Bab al-Asbat area, where trees had been removed two days ago.

They added that the Israeli police already closed the area, while the workmen embarked on carrying out diggings inside it.

However, the purpose of such excavations in the area is still unknown.